Abortion

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to review the upper time limit for abortion in the case of disabilities such as cleft palate and Down's syndrome.

Earl Howe: It is accepted parliamentary practice that proposals for changes in the law on abortion come from Back-Bench members and that decisions are made on the basis of free votes.

Abortion

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 4 July (WA 1) in which the government definition of family planning is provided, whether such a designation is appropriate for a service or clinic which provides abortion.

Earl Howe: Abortion can only legally be performed in the circumstances set out in the Abortion Act 1967 as amended. All abortion service providers should also provide the full range of contraception. The "Service Specification-Termination of Pregnancy", which forms part of the Guidance on the NHS Standard Contract for Acute Services 2010-11, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, states that women should receive an effective method of contraception of their choice which suits their health and other needs regardless of whether an abortion goes ahead.

Agriculture: Eggs

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they propose to take to ensure that eggs and egg products provided from battery cages by other European Union producers after 1 January 2012 are refused entry into the United Kingdom.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the European Commission to put in place an intra-European Union ban on trade in eggs and egg products produced from battery cages before such production methods are made illegal after 1 January 2012.

Lord Henley: From 1 January 2012 it will be illegal to keep laying hens in conventional cages and, on that basis, marketing such eggs as class A within the UK will be against the law.
	In addition, the UK Government have been at the forefront of efforts to convince the Commission that simply relying on infraction proceedings against non-compliant member states will not be enough to deal with the negative impact that non-compliance would cause. We have urged the Commission to put additional measures in place to prevent market disturbance and to protect compliant producers.
	We would favour a time-limited intra-Community trade ban which would restrict the sale of eggs from non-compliant systems after 2012 from being exported outside that member state's border and the strengthening of the requirement for each member state to share the data in the annual returns it sends to the Commission under the EU marketing regulations, giving details of each producer, which system they use, their production code et cetera, so that these data could then be used by member states to identify non-compliance. We will continue to keep up the pressure on the Commission to act and act quickly.
	We are also in the process of drawing up an enforcement strategy which we will be discussing with industry representatives and retailers and how we can best work together to take things forward.

Animal By-products

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the proposal to lift the European Union-wide ban on feeding animal by-products to chickens and pigs.

Lord Henley: The European Commission's TSE Roadmap 2 published in July 2010 sets out the way forward for TSE controls and includes the future policy option of permitting processed animal protein (PAP) derived from non-ruminants such as chickens and pigs to be fed to non-ruminant farmed animals which are omnivores or carnivores. This would be subject to strict segregation rules to maintain the existing ban on intra-species recycling of PAP and the validation of a test to determine the species of origin of PAP in animal feed.
	The European Commission has now made a specific proposal to allow non-ruminant PAP to be fed to non-ruminant farmed animals of a different species-allowing, for example, chicken PAP to be fed to pigs or fish and pig PAP to be fed to chickens or fish-subject to the conditions set out above. The Government are currently considering this proposal. They have sought views from interested parties and will seek advice on the food safety implications from the Food Standards Agency.

Animals: Scientific Procedures

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any decisions have been taken about changing the nature or frequency of inspections of establishments designated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Baroness Browning: The public consultation on the options for transposing European directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes seeks views on the system of inspection of breeders, suppliers and users of animals. The consultation closes on 5 September 2011. No decisions have yet been made on this issue.
	At present the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate implements a risk-based approach to inspection and as such the frequency, duration and style of inspection may vary as any relevant risks alter.

Animals: Scientific Procedures

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether members of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate are required to declare membership of, or personal or professional interests in, organisations concerned with either animal protection or the production of animals or equipment used in scientific procedures on animals.

Baroness Browning: Members of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate who are members of the Senior Civil Service are required to make a declaration of potential conflicts of interest every six months. This would include membership of, or personal or professional interests in, organisations concerned with either animal protection or the production of animals or equipment used in scientific procedures on animals.
	Inspectors who are not senior civil servants are not required to make the declaration. However some have voluntarily made one where a potential conflict might be perceived.

Armed Forces: Costs

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total cost to date of United Kingdom military operations in (a) Afghanistan, and (b) Iraq, calculated on the basis of additional expenditure over what would otherwise have been incurred.

Lord Astor of Hever: The annual audited figures for the net additional costs of military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq from financial year 2001-02 to 2009-10 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Total spend to date 
			 Afghanistan 221 311 46 67 199 738 1,504 2,623 3,821 9,530 
			 Iraq 0 847 1,311 910 958 956 1,457 1,381 342 8,162 
		
	
	The estimated net additional cost of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq for financial year 2010-11 is provided in the following table. Final audited figures will be available in the annual report and accounts, which are due to be published shortly.
	
		
			  2010-1l £ million 
			 Afghanistan 3,774 
			 Iraq 95

Armed Forces: Helicopters

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government when will RN Sea King mark 4 crews from the Commando Helicopter Force start to transition to Merlin mark 3 as part of the plan to re-equip Commando Helicopter Force with Merlin for the Future Force; and how many crews will be involved in the initial transition.

Lord Astor of Hever: It is planned to start transition for Royal Navy and Royal Marines Sea King mark 4 crews into Merlin mark 3 after September this year, as part of the plan to re-equip the Commando Helicopter Force with Merlin for the Future Force 2020. A decision has yet to be taken on the exact number of personnel in this initial transition.

Bahrain

Lord Bilston: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the announcement by the King of Bahrain that an independent commission will be formed, in conjunction with the United Nations, which will inquire into the unrest in Bahrain in February and March 2011 and make recommendations for restoring harmony and good governance to the kingdom.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As my honourable friend the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt, said on 30 June, the UK Government welcome the establishment by His Majesty the King of an independent commission, composed of international figures, to look into the events of recent months and into allegations of abuses of human rights. It is our hope that this promising and significant step will lead to concrete progress in addressing the recent serious concerns about the human rights situation in Bahrain. We also hope these developments will be complemented by all sides participating in a successful and peaceful commencement of the national dialogue.

Bahrain

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the establishment of an independent international commission by King Hamad of Bahrain to investigate the background to the disturbances in Bahrain in February and March and to the commencement of a national dialogue in Bahrain led by the Crown Prince to discuss reform.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK Government welcome the establishment by His Majesty King Hamad of an independent commission, composed of international figures, to look into the events of recent months and into allegations of abuses of human rights. It is our hope that this promising and significant step will lead to concrete progress in addressing the recent serious concerns about the human rights situation in Bahrain. We also hope these developments will be complemented by all sides participating in a successful and peaceful commencement of the national dialogue which brings the genuine political reform needed to ensure long-term stability in Bahrain.

Banks: Credit Cards

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 7 July (WA 91) concerning charges for credit and debit cards, whether they will answer specifically on charges for debit cards.

Lord Sassoon: The payment services directive (2007/64/EC) provides that member states may forbid or limit the right of the payee (for example, a retailer) to impose charges for the use of any payment instrument, including debit cards, taking into account the need to encourage competition and promote efficient payment instruments.

Belfast Agreement

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 4 July (WA 3) concerning the treatment of non-Irish citizens in the Republic of Ireland, how they monitor the implementation of the Belfast agreement application in the Republic of Ireland, on the basis of which they state the agreement is to the benefit of the human rights of British citizens living in Ireland.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The British and Irish Governments meet regularly both at ministerial and official level to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern, including matters relating to the implementation of the Belfast agreement in each jurisdiction.

Clostridium Sordellii

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) what was the registered cause of death, and (b) what secondary references were included on the certificate, in each case since 2005 where a sufferer of Clostridium sordellii died subsequent to infection.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Lord Alton of Liverpool, dated July 2011.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking (a) what was the registered cause of death, and (b) what secondary references were included on the certificate, in each case since 2005 where a sufferer of Clostridium sordelli died subsequent to infection. (HL11061)
	Information on deaths involving Clostridium sordellii is not directly available from the statistical information derived from death registrations. To obtain figures on deaths related to C. sordellii it would be necessary to identify all deaths with an International Classification of Disease code relating to Clostridium infection, and then study the text of the death certificate for the word "sordellii". This exercise cannot be completed without disproportionate costs.
	It is not always possible from the information given at death registration to state whether the deceased had a specific infection at the time of death. Internationally accepted guidance from the World Health Organisation requires only those conditions that contributed directly to the death to be recorded on the death certificate. Medical practitioners and coroners are not required to record all of the diseases or conditions present at or before death, and whether a condition contributed is a matter for their clinical judgement.
	The number of deaths involving Clostridium difficile registered in England and Wales each year by sex and age are published annually on the National Statistics website at: www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp ?vInk=14782.
	1. Currently it would not be easy to adapt death registration data for routine monitoring of C. sordellii as the International Classification of Disease does not contain a code for this infection. The only way to obtain data is using the methodology described in the answer.
	2. C. sordellii is a rare bacterium that causes pneumonia, endocarditis, arthritis, peritonitis, and myonecrosis. C. sordellii bacteremia and sepsis occur rarely. Most cases of sepsis from C. sordellii occur in patients with underlying conditions. Severe toxic shock syndrome among previously healthy persons has been described in a small number of C. sordellii cases, most often associated with gynaecologic infections in women and infection of the umbilical stump in newborns.
	3. There is currently no routine surveillance scheme for C. sordellii infections.

Court of the Bank of England

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have asked the chairman of the Court of the Bank of England why the court has not insisted on an independent review of the Bank's performance ahead of and during the banking crisis.

Lord Sassoon: Government Ministers regularly meet Bank directors, including the chairman of the Court of the Bank of England, to discuss a range of issues.

Court of the Bank of England

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure the independence and competence of the chairman and the independent members of the Court of the Bank of England.

Lord Sassoon: Non-executive appointments to the Court of the Bank of England are subject to a fair, open and transparent competition process, which ensures that applicants' qualifications and skills are appropriately evaluated against the advertised role criteria.
	Appointments are regulated by the Office for the Commissioner of Public Appointments and an independent assessor sits on both the sift and interview panels.

Detention: Pre-trial

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 27 March (WA 248), what is their response to the European Commission's Green Paper on pre-trial detention.

Lord McNally: The deadline for responses to the Commission's Green Paper on detention issues is 30 November. The Ministry of Justice will co-ordinate a government response to the consultation and will respond within the deadline.

Diplomats: Cross-accreditation

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many countries in which it has accreditation do not allow cross-accreditation of ambassadors; and which are those countries.

Lord Howell of Guildford: There has not been an incident, in recent memory, of a proposed cross-accreditation of a British head of mission being refused.
	However, Article 5.1 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations makes clear that a state may refuse accreditation to a head of mission who is accredited to another state. Such a refusal would generally be in relation to a specific proposal for cross-accreditation and would be dependent on the government policies in place at that time in the state concerned.
	It is not therefore possible to say how many states might under some circumstances object to cross-accreditation.

Economy: Balance of Payments

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the United Kingdom Balance of Payments for 2010 to be published; and whether it will reflect exports and imports of goods and services which pass through Rotterdam and Antwerp.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Lord Pearson of Rannoch, dated July 2011.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the United Kingdom Balance of Payments 2010 to be published; and whether it will reflect exports and imports of goods and services which pass through Rotterdam and Antwerp. (HL11163)
	The United Kingdom Balance of Payments 2010 (including data for 2009) was published in 2010. It can be found at the following web link: http://www.statistics. gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vInk=1140.
	The United Kingdom Balance of Payments 2011 (including data for 2010) is to be published electronically on 1 November 2011.
	The convention for recording exports and imports of goods and services (e.g. on HMRC customs declarations) is that the partner country recorded is the country the goods or services first enter after leaving their country of origin. Therefore, exports or imports that pass through Rotterdam and Antwerp would be recorded as exports to or imports from Netherlands and Belgium respectively.

Economy: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they gave to the circulation figures for Johnston Press weekly papers and News Letter in Northern Ireland when inviting press to the launch event of the consultation paper Relaunching the Northern Ireland Economy.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: For events of this nature the Northern Ireland Office routinely and specifically alerts the Belfast Telegraph, Irish News, News Letter, Press Association and other news outlets with which the NIO has regular contact on UK government issues.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported link between the hyperstimulation of ovaries in women over 35 years of age during IVF treatment and genetic abnormalities discovered in second stage embryos.

Earl Howe: No assessment has been made by the Government of this information. This research is ongoing and has not yet been published in a peer review journal.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 6 July (WA 65-6), how many IVF pregnancies have been ended by abortion since 1991; and why they have made no assessment of those figures, including the reasons for such abortions, or of the implications for medical resources.

Earl Howe: There is nothing further I can add to the information I gave the noble Lord in my Written Answer of 7 July 2011 (Official Report, cols. WA 95-96).

EU: Bank Accounts

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 5 July (WA 43) concerning the disclosure of bank account details to European Union member states, whether the owners of those bank accounts were informed that details had been disclosed.

Lord Sassoon: Under the European Union's savings directive, financial institutions are required to report savings interest on accounts held by residents of other member states to HM Revenue and Customs for automatic exchange of information with the relevant member state. Arrangements for keeping account holders informed may vary between financial institutions.

EU: Environment Council

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Henley on 5 July (WS 9) on matters discussed at the Environment Council on 21 June, whether the cost implications for the public sector, the water industry and commerce and industry were taken into account before agreements or prospective agreements were made.

Lord Henley: On 21 June the EU Environment Council adopted conclusions that welcomed the Commission's intention to propose an EU response to water challenges in 2012, by means of its Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources. At this stage, no decisions were taken that had cost implications for member states. We will assess the full cost implications as necessary once the Commission provides details of the proposed actions.

EU: Logo

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government under what legal authority the European Union is able to fine organisations in receipt of grants from the European Regional Development Fund for failing to display the European Union logo; and whether there is a right of appeal.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Article 69 of European Union regulation 1083/2006 of 11 July 2006, which sets out general provisions on the European regional development fund (ERDF) and other structural funds, requires member-state managing authorities to ensure that projects supported by the ERDF adequately publicise this support. European Union regulation 1828/2006 of 8 December 2006 sets out rules for the implementation of the ERDF and other structural funds. These rules include the detailed requirements for funding recipients to publicise information on the source of their funding, including statements to that effect in all related documents. It is standard practice for funding providers in general to ask that their role in supporting a project or organisation be recognised and communicated.
	The managing authority may withdraw some or all funding from a beneficiary if the project does not comply with the regulations. This is a financial correction, not a fine and there is no right of appeal under the regulations. The European Commission also has powers to impose financial corrections on the basis of examinations it has carried out, but these are generally at operational programme, not individual project, level.

EU: Membership

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will propose that the European Commission adopt a co-ordinated and comprehensive approach to early accession or integration by countries in south-east Europe which remain outside the European Union, and that this is supported by the European External Action Service.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government are a strong supporter of EU enlargement. We believe further EU enlargement is dependent on countries meeting the fair and rigorous accession criteria. Croatia, Iceland, Montenegro, Macedonia and Turkey are all candidate countries. The EU is also committed to the European perspective of the western Balkans. My right honourable friend the Minister for Europe, David Lidington, restated the Government's support for eventual EU membership for the countries of the western Balkans subject to them meeting the accession criteria, at the EU-Western Balkans Forum on 20 June. The European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) play a useful role in the EU enlargement process. The Commission, with input from the EEAS, monitors and assesses progress in the reforms necessary for EU membership in those countries with an EU perspective, the result of which is an annual progress report on these countries and an annual EU enlargement strategy which suggests the proposed direction of this policy. The UK fully endorses last December's council conclusions, which stated "that by making solid progress in economic and political reform and by fulfilling the necessary conditions and requirements, the remaining potential candidates in the western Balkans should achieve candidate status, according to their own merits, with EU membership as the ultimate goal".

Female Genital Mutilation

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what programme of public education is undertaken for refugees who arrive in the United Kingdom from countries where female genital mutilation is prevalent.

Baroness Browning: The United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) provides advice to newly arrived refugees on accessing NHS services. All individuals entering UKBA-arranged accommodation are offered health screening.
	Temporary United Kingdom residents (refugees and asylum seekers whose application is still being considered, and anyone who has been lawfully living in the UK for 12 months immediately prior to treatment) are afforded the protections available to permanent UK residents, including access to 15 specialist clinics in the NHS which treat women and girls who have been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). These clinics all have trained and culturally sensitive staff who offer a range of confidential healthcare services for women and girls including reversal surgery. These clinics are open to women to attend without referral from their own doctors. These clinics are funded by local primary care trusts.
	The Government have also distributed 40,000 leaflets and posters to public sector partners within the UK, highlighting the issue of FGM.

Female Genital Mutilation

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they publish information in languages other than English so that refugees and others are aware of the law in relation to female genital mutilation in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Browning: The Government have distributed leaflets and posters to British embassies across Africa to raise awareness among individuals applying to come to the UK that female genital mutilation is illegal here. At present the Government do not publish such information in languages other than English.

Female Genital Mutilation

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial and other support they make available for female genital mutilation women's groups and advocacy groups in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Browning: The Government chair and run the female genital mutilation (FGM) forum, which allows the voluntary and community sector to meet with policy officials, raise any concerns and discuss current issues. No direct financial support has been made available in this financial year.

Finance: Foreign Exchange

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what instructions HM Treasury has given to departments of state concerning the hedging of foreign exchange exposures, including (a) the extent of permissible hedging in the context of total exposure, (b) the method used to calculate exposure, and (c) any limits on the timing or form of hedging adopted, including choice of counterparty.

Lord Sassoon: HM Treasury provides guidance in Managing Public Money (chapter 5 and annexe 5.7) to departments on foreign exchange transactions. In particular, if foreign exchange transactions form a substantial part of a department's business, its foreign exchange management policy will need to be agreed with HM Treasury.

Financial Services Bill

Baroness Noakes: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect a Joint Committee will be formed for the purposes of pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Financial Services Bill.

Lord Sassoon: The Joint Committee to carry out pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Financial Services Bill will be formed when Motions to form the committee have been agreed by both Houses.

Financial Services Bill

Baroness Noakes: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 6 July (WA 67), whether the Joint Committee which is to be formed for the purposes of pre-legislative scrutiny of the Financial Services Bill will have the power to recommend that the Bill presented to Parliament is a free-standing Bill rather than one which amends the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the Bank of England Act 1998, the Banking Act 2009 and other related legislation.

Lord Sassoon: The Joint Committee will be able to make recommendations on all aspects of the draft legislation.

Government Departments: Research and Data

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research and data collection the Department of Transport has (a) initiated, (b) terminated, and (c) amended, since 12 May 2010.

Earl Attlee: A list of research and data collection that has been initiated, terminated and/or amended by the Department for Transport since 12 May 2010 is provided in the table below. Further information is available on the department's research management database at http://www.dft.gov.uk/rmd/.
	
		
			 Research initiated, amended or terminated since 12 May 2010 
			 Title Initiated (I), amended (A), terminated (T) 
			 Value of Prevented Fatalities and Injuries-Phase 1 I 
			 Advanced Biofuels: the potential for a UK industry I 
			 Scenarios for the cost-effective deployment of biofuel in the UK road transport sector in 2020 I 
			 Amendments to the UK Renewable Energy Directive Art 19(2) report on emissions from cultivation of biofuels feedstocks in the UK I 
			 Child media consumption research I 
			 Christmas 2010 THINK! road safety drink drive campaign: post-activity tracking research I 
			 Annual survey of attitudes to THINK! campaign, road safety and driving behaviour I 
			 Post campaign tracking research for the THINK! road safety 'Tales of the road' campaign, for Children aged 6-11 I 
			 Evaluation of the 'Code of Everand' road safety online game, for children aged 9-12 I 
			 Evaluation of THINK! road safety education resources for early years and upper primary children I 
			 High Speed 2 Rail Omnibus Survey (Pre consultation) I 
			 Station usage and demand forecasting at newly-opened railway lines and stations I 
			 Peak spreading fares study I 
			 Network Modelling Framework Script Development I 
			 Strategic Fares Model Updating 2 I 
			 Responsiveness of rail demand I 
			 Comparing rail forecasting approaches I 
			 Implementing the "revisiting the elasticity-based framework" study I 
			 Van CO2 Database Matching Project I 
			 GB Van CO2 Database I 
			 Freight route choice using GPS data I 
			 Omnibus survey of public attitudes to bus travel I 
			 Omnibus survey of public attitudes to climate change and travel choices I 
			 Marginal Abatement Cost Curve Project I 
			 Market Maturity and Econometrics I 
			 Aviation Health Studies I 
			 Train Operating Company Cost Model A 
			 Emissions Model A 
			 Evidence Review of the Economics of Shipping and UK Ports A 
			 Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Shipping Services A 
			 Value of Travel Time Savings (VTTS) study-Phase 1 T 
			 National Transport Model Version 4 Commissioning-Phase 4 T 
			 Validation of the NTM using ASHE T 
			 Funding of the Transport Research Centre T 
			 Airport Development-Appraisal of Sustainability Scoping Document T

Government Departments: Research and Data

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 21 June (WA 279), what was the variation agreed in the project "Using fishery observer data to investigate technical interactions and management options for mixed fisheries"; and why this variation was agreed.

Lord Henley: The contract was varied following a request from the contractor. The variation extended the end-date by three months to ensure that the contractor had sufficient time to complete their agreed obligations. No additional cost was incurred to the department for this variation.

Government Departments: Research and Data

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 21 June (WA 279), what was the variation agreed in the project "Improving short rotation coppice through breeding and genomics"; and for what reason.

Lord Henley: Defra funded project NF0424 to establish a breeding programme for short rotation coppice willow led by Rothamsted Research. This was necessary because there was no market to support a breeding programme, and low yields were one of the causes of low commercial viability of this dedicated biomass crop, which in previous trials demonstrated good adaptation across the UK.
	Work at Rothamsted delivered breeding tools and improved varieties over five years. Defra indicated that at the end of this period the research providers should seek joint funding from industry to continue the work. The contract variation was a six-month paid extension agreed with Rothamsted to provide more time for developing a project with industrial partners. However, this did not come into fruition.
	Rothamsted is pursuing genetic improvement of short rotation coppice willow through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's Sustainable Bioenergy Centre.

Health: Contaminated Blood Products

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many claims under the new criteria of the Skipton Fund for compensation for contaminated blood products were lodged by the deadline of 31 March 2011; and how many have been accepted.

Earl Howe: The Skipton Fund received a total of 465 registrations of intent to make a claim in respect of individuals in England who died before 29 August 2003, prior to the 31 March 2011 deadline. As at 7 July 2011, the Skipton Fund has received 304 completed application forms, of which 195 have been approved for payment.

Health: Down's Syndrome

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the annual figures for the live birth of babies with Down's syndrome for the years 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011.

Earl Howe: The following table provides the number of live births notified to the National Congenital Anomaly System for England and Wales (NCAS) with a mention of Down's syndrome for the years 1981, 1991 and 2001. Figures are not available for 2011. The number of notifications received by NCAS is likely to be less than the actual number of infants born with an anomaly.
	
		
			 Table: Number of live birth notifications to the National Congenital Anomaly System with a mention of Down's syndrome1, 1981,1991 and 2001, England and Wales2 
			 Year Number of notifications Rates per 10,000 live and stillbirths 
			 19813 465 7.3 
			 19914 424 6.1 
			 20015 344 5.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1 The figure for 1981 includes notifications coded to 758.0 using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition (ICD-9).
	The figures for 1991 and 2001 include notifications coded to Q90 using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10).
	2 Births to women resident in England and Wales.
	3 Figures taken from Congenital malformation statistics 1981-1985, Series MB3 not, OPCS.
	4 Figures taken from Congenital malformation statistics 1991, Series MB3 no 7. OPCS.
	5 Figures taken from Congenital anomaly statistics: Notifications 2001, Series MB3 no 16

Health: Drug Tariff

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to assess the impact of changes to category M in the drug tariff on dispensing doctors; what steps were taken during the last category M review to ensure dispensing doctors' services were not adversely affected; and what structures are in place to ensure that the dispensing doctors' sector is not adversely affected by changes to category M.

Earl Howe: The NHS drug tariff, including category M, forms part of the community pharmacy contractual framework, and is therefore negotiated between the department and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.
	To date, the General Practitioners Committee (GPC) of the British Medical Association has been content for the value of drug reimbursements paid to dispensing GPs to be based on the NHS drug tariff, and these arrangements have been carried forward for many years.
	Recently, the position of the GPC and dispensing doctors has changed. The department has made clear to representatives of dispensing doctors that it is happy to discuss whether new arrangements should be agreed in calculating how dispensing doctors might be funded, including ensuring that ongoing efficiencies are secured for the benefit of the National Health Service and taxpayer, given that the latest independent information on earnings for dispensing doctors (the GP earnings and expenses report for 2008-09, published by the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care, in January 2011) showed that the average income before tax of a dispensing GP in England was £123,800, which is around £17,000 a year more per GP than those who are not dispensing doctors.

Health: General Practitioners

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many general practitioners there are per head of the population for each primary care trust area, in each of the 10 districts of Greater Manchester.

Earl Howe: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of general practitioners (GPs), excluding retainers and registrars, per head of population for primary care trusts (PCTs) within Greater Manchester as at 30 September 2010 
			  All practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) headcount(1) All practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) headcount per 100,000 population 
			 Total specified organisations 1,791 68.0 
			 Ashton, Leigh And Wigan PCT 190 62.0 
			 Bolton PCT 210 79.2 
			 Bury PCT 116 63.5 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 141 68.9 
			 Manchester PCT 353 73.0 
			 Oldham PCT 143 65.4 
			 Salford PCT 169 75.1 
			 Stockport PCT 193 68.0 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT(2) 147 59.0 
			 Trafford PCT 141 65.5 
		
	
	Sources:
	The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics. Office for National Statistics, 2009 Final Mid-Year Population Estimates (2001 census based), adjusted May 2010 to reflect revisions to migration methodology: Crown Copyright.
	Notes:
	Data as at 30 September 2010.
	(1) The new headcount methodology for 2010 data is not fully comparable with previous year's data due to improvements that make it a more stringent count of absolute staff numbers. Further information on the headcount methodology is available in the census publication. Headcount totals are unlikely to equal the sum of components.
	(2) The PCTs displayed service the 10 districts that constitute Greater Manchester. Please note that Glossop is not in Greater Manchester but is part of Tameside and Glossop PCT and cannot be separated.
	GP per head of population figures have been calculated using Office for National Statistics resident population estimates
	The Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.

Health: Orthopaedics

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the benefit in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) to patients who have received care which is consistent with the best-practice tariff for hip fracture.

Earl Howe: The aim of the best-practice tariff (BPT) for hip fracture is to reduce unexplained variations and to raise the quality of care and improve outcomes for patients. The BPT is based on elements of care which are consistent with best practice and the recently published hip fracture guidance from National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). BPT was introduced in April 2010 and data received over the past 12 months have demonstrated a steady increase in the number of patients whose care is in line with the standards of care required for compliance with the BPT. At this stage, it is not possible to express improvements in outcomes in terms of QALYs. The department has commissioned an evaluation of the impact of the introduction of the BPT, which is due to report later this year. This report will comment on the improvement in care for patients, using the most appropriate means of measurement.

Health: Orthopaedics

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the management of osteoporosis and fracture risk in primary care.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the proportion of non-hip fracture patients receiving bone-protecting treatments following a diagnosis of osteoporosis.

Earl Howe: The department has taken a number of steps to improve the management of osteoporosis and fracture risk in primary care in a number of areas. These include guidance through a commissioning toolkit to support organisations' establishment of effective falls and fracture prevention and management; commissioning the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to develop clinical guidelines for hip fractures; and technology appraisals covering the primary and secondary prevention of osteoporosis.
	It also includes the development of a best-practice tariff which offers financial incentives to hospitals meeting quality standards for hip fracture patients (including a fracture prevention assessment) and the NHS Clinical Knowledge Summaries (formerly PRODIGY) which is aimed at healthcare professionals working in primary and first-contact care, and provides information on osteoporosis prevention and management.
	The department's guidance on the falls and fractures commissioning toolkit includes prevention of frailty, promotion of bone health and reduction of accidents through encouraging physical activity and healthy lifestyle and reducing unnecessary environmental hazards as one of its four intervention objectives in the context of local services for falls, falls prevention and fractures.

Health: Patient Safety

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether National Patient Safety Agency rapid response reports are routinely shared with the health departments in the devolved Administrations.

Earl Howe: The National Patient Safety Agency routinely shares all rapid response reports with the health departments in the devolved Administrations.

Health: Pressure Sores

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to draw up guidelines on the prevention of pressure sores and distribute them to hospitals and nursing homes.

Earl Howe: We understand that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recently initiated a review of its clinical guideline on the management of pressure ulcers in primary and secondary care, published in September 2005.
	The updated guideline will include the amalgamation of NICE's clinical guideline on the use of pressure-relieving devices for the prevention of pressure ulcers in primary and secondary care. Further information is at: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/index.jsp ?action=byID&o =10972.
	In addition, NICE is developing a quality standard on the management of pressure ulcers.

Health: Rural Pharmacies

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Health, Mr Simon Burns, on 16 June (Official Report, Commons, col. 910W), how the implication that the viability of rural pharmacies is more important than patient choice aligns with the Government's stated principle of "no decision about me without me".

Earl Howe: We fully support patients having a choice of pharmaceutical services providers. Patients can take their prescriptions to any National Health Service pharmacy they wish to have their prescriptions dispensed.
	However, in more remote and rural areas, NHS pharmacies may not always be viable. That is why, to ensure adequate access to NHS dispensing services, primary care trusts may authorise general practitioners (GPs) to dispense to patients provided certain criteria set out in regulations are met. Such arrangements have existed for many decades and pre-date the formation of the NHS.
	The current NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005 as amended implement an agreement reached in 2001, regarding rural dispensing, between representatives of contractors, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association and the Dispensing Doctors Association. These regulations updated and reformed the previous regulatory regime and set out the circumstances under which patients who live in designated rural areas are eligible to receive dispensing services from their GP. Such arrangements are of course generally subject to the agreement of the doctor or practice. However, the primary role of NHS general medical practitioners is to provide NHS medical services to their patients.

Health: Stroke Care

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to retain and strengthen the 27 stroke care networks when the current funding ends in 2012.

Earl Howe: On 8 July 2011, Sir David Nicholson, chief executive-designate of the NHS Commissioning Board, published Developing the NHS Commissioning Board, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, which sets out proposals about how the NHS Commissioning Board will operate. It proposes that the NHS Commissioning Board will host clinical networks which will continue to advise on distinct areas of care, such as stroke.

Health: Surgical Instruments

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they do not allow the reuse of stainless steel medical instruments made from the same materials as multi-use instruments.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether single-use surgical instruments could be collected and resterilised for donation overseas.

Earl Howe: Manufacturers of surgical instruments (medical devices) must designate them as single-use only or as being suitable for reprocessing. Although a manufacturer may employ the same materials in a single-use medical device as in a reusable device, the design of the single-use device may not be appropriate to allow for effective decontamination and sterilisation of the product.
	A reusable device must include guidance on the reprocessing of the product in the instructions for use. Any medical device that includes a sterilisation process must involve a notified body in the validation of this process prior to the application of a CE mark.
	A medical device designated as single-use only will not have been validated for reprocessing by the manufacturer and should not be reused.
	The reuse of single-use only medical devices carries additional risks of infection and the possibility that the equipment will not perform as intended.
	In addition, any organisation that donates medical devices for use by a third party outside of the manufacturer's intended purpose does so at their own risk. If the medical device causes harm to a patient, then the civil liability for this would be with the supplying organisation.

Hillsborough Castle

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to public funds of the recent social event hosted in Hillsborough Castle by Independent News and Media.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: There was no cost to public funds in relation to the event involving Independent News and Media, which met all the expenses.
	The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland agreed to attend this event as it supported a Northern Ireland Office departmental objective in relation to rebalancing the economy in Northern Ireland. The event provided an opportunity for Independent News and Media to explore how best it could help promote Northern Ireland, through its international network, in order to support and promote economic growth.

House of Lords: Media Training

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Sassoon on 6 July, which Ministers in the House of Lords have had media training in answering questions since their appointment; and what was the total cost involved.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: This information is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

Human Rights

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to ratify Protocol 7 to the European Convention on Human Rights in the light of the amendment made by the Equality Act 2010.

Lord McNally: When I replied to my noble friend's Questions on this issue on 11 October 2010 (Official Report, col. WA 39), I said that the Government had not made an assessment of the compatibility of United Kingdom law with the seventh protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights. That remains the position. In addition, I said the Government would establish a commission to consider the case for a UK Bill of Rights, which would incorporate and build on our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, and that the Government believed any proposal to add to these obligations, for example by ratifying Protocol 7, should be considered in the context of the work of the commission. As he is aware, the commission was established on 18 March 2011 and is due to report no later than by the end of 2012.

Iran

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Iran about their alleged recent shelling of villages and farms in Iraq near the frontier.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are deeply concerned about Iran's recent cross-border shelling in the border region of Kurdistan. This is no clear justification for such action, which endangers innocent civilians. We will continue to monitor the situation and call on Iran to play a constructive role in Iraq. This includes Iran respecting Iraq's territorial integrity and the individual rights of the Kurdish people in the region.

Iraq

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Governments of Iraq and the United States regarding the restoration of Iraqi control over its frontiers, airspace and other aspects of sovereignty.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have had no recent discussions with the Governments of Iraq or the United States (US) about Iraq sovereignty, since Iraq regained its sovereignty. The US has a military presence in Iraq under a bilateral agreement which expires in December 2011. The US provides support and training, including to the Iraqi air force to enable it to defend Iraqi airspace. Much of Iraqi airspace is already controlled by the Iraqis, with the US progressively handing over responsibilities as Iraqi capabilities improve.

Israel and Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning British citizens held at Tel Aviv Airport who have been refused entry into Israel and the West Bank of Palestine.

Lord Howell of Guildford: I can confirm 12 British nationals were detained on 8 July at Ben Gurion Airport. All but one have now returned to the UK, with one being allowed to enter Israel. None of them was charged. The legal basis for their detention is a matter for the Israeli authorities, and for the detainees to follow up through their own lawyer should they wish to. However, our travel advice clearly states that travellers to the Occupied Territories may face difficulties on arrival. They were visited four times by consular staff, including a visit by our ambassador.
	Our ambassador was in regular contact with the Israeli Government at a senior level to facilitate the quickest possible return of the detainees, and his team were in constant communication to raise and resolve issues at the working level. We will follow up any allegations of mistreatment with the Israeli authorities.

Israel and Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the alleged mistreatment of British citizens held at Tel Aviv Airport.

Lord Howell of Guildford: I can confirm 12 British nationals were detained on 8 July at Ben Gurion Airport. All but one have now returned to the UK, with one being allowed to enter Israel. None of them was charged. The legal basis for their detention is a matter for the Israeli authorities, and for the detainees to follow up through their own lawyer should they wish to. However, our travel advice clearly states that travellers to the Occupied Territories may face difficulties on arrival. They were visited four times by consular staff, including a visit by our ambassador.
	Our ambassador was in regular contact with the Israeli Government at a senior level to facilitate the quickest possible return of the detainees, and his team were in constant communication to raise and resolve issues at the working level. We will follow up any allegations of mistreatment with the Israeli authorities.

London Thames Gateway Development Corporation

Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty's Government for what reason responsibility for planning functions in Fish Island and Bromley-by-Bow will be retained by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation after responsibility for other parts of Tower Hamlets is transferred back to the local authority.

Baroness Hanham: As part of the localisation of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, all planning powers are being transferred to locally accountable bodies on 1 October 2012. The Mayor of London has consulted on a proposed mayoral development corporation that would assume planning powers for part of the area currently covered by London Thames Gateway Development Corporation with a boundary including the following areas:
	the core Olympic Park, comprising land owned by Olympic Park Legacy Company and the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, including Eton Manor;the Olympic Village and associated development sites owned by the Olympic Delivery Authority and London and Continental Railways Ltd;the Stratford City development site, including the Westfield Shopping Centre and Chobham Farm;Hackney Wick and Fish Island;Bromley-by-Bow North (with a southern boundary at the District line);Pudding Mill Lane and Sugarhouse Lane;Three Mills and Mill Meads; andCarpenters Estate.
	The mayor is due to announce the agreed boundary in September 2011. All of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation's planning powers outside of the mayoral development corporation boundary will be returned to the local boroughs of Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets.

Media: News International Ltd

Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Crown Prosecution Service will, under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1901, consider pursuing those journalists employed by News International Ltd who are alleged to have paid large sums of money to police officers.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The role of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to advise and decide upon the bringing of prosecutions following the completion of an investigation by the police. In the event of allegations of corruption being referred to the CPS following an investigation, any such case will be considered in accordance with the code for Crown prosecutors.

National Commissioning Board

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what regional and local commissioning structures will be established as part of the national commissioning board.

Earl Howe: The National Health Service commissioning board will be free to take decisions about how best to discharge its responsibilities. It is anticipated that the primary care trust cluster arrangements will be reflected in the local arrangements of the board.

NHS: Food

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the quality of food for patients in NHS hospitals.

Earl Howe: Good hospital food is an important part of care, both for clinical reasons and to ensure a good care experience.
	From 1 October 2010, every health and adult social care service in England is legally responsible for making sure it meets new essential standards of quality and safety, including a requirement to provide:
	a choice of suitable and nutritious food and hydration, in sufficient quantities to meet service users' needs;food and hydration that meet any reasonable requirements arising from a service user's religious or cultural background; andsupport, where necessary, for the purposes of enabling service users to eat and drink sufficient amounts for their needs.
	Registration and licensing are the responsibility of the Care Quality Commission, which has a wide range of actions it can take if it finds care services are not meeting essential standards.
	The operating framework for 2011-12 requires the National Health Service to consider the government buying standards for food (published June 2011), which encourage procurement that supports a healthy balanced diet for those in the care of public services and for public sector workers, and that reduces the impact of food and catering on the environment.
	At the same time as Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published the government buying standards, the Department of Health published a toolkit for public sector organisations serving food to adults. This gives advice to caterers on improving healthy food provision. It replaces guidance previously published by the Food Standards Agency.

NHS: Peterborough Primary Care Trust

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money the Peterborough Primary Care Trust has had to borrow in each of the last three years over and above its annual allocation in order to ensure that the primary care trust meets its annual requirement not to exceed its statutory financial obligations; and from which body or bodies.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money has had to be granted to the Peterborough Primary Care Trust in each of the last three years, over and above its annual allocation, in order to ensure that the primary care trust meets its annual requirements not to exceed its statutory financial obligations; and from which body or bodies.

Earl Howe: Peterborough Primary Care Trust (PCT) has not borrowed any money from the department in the past three financial years. The East of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has further advised that the PCT has not borrowed from others.
	The following table consolidates all the revenue resource allocations, known collectively as the revenue resource limit, made to the PCT in the past three financial years. These can be seen in the audited accounts of the PCT.
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			  £000 £000 £000 
			 Initial Allocation 238,393 244,676 257,356 
			 In-year Allocations 3,754 27,275 32,747 
			 Total 242,147 271,951 290,103 
		
	
	Source: Department of Health - Group Financial Reporting and Cash Management
	The initial allocation is made up of initial recurrent revenue allocations. The in-year allocations are made up of non-recurrent central budget allocations and inter authority transfers (movements between SHAs and PCTs in year) which are also non-recurrent.

NHS: Private Finance Initiative

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the percentage figure in the NHS Affordability Index for the recently built Peterborough City Hospital when the private finance initiative was approved; and what is the equivalent figure today.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government when the private finance initiative was approved for the recently built Peterborough City Hospital; what were the projected incomes for 2010-11 and 2011-12; and what was the actual income for 2010-11 and what is the projected income for 2011-12.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional expenditure, by item costing £500,000 or more, was incurred in the building of the new Peterborough City Hospital over and above what was included in the approved private finance initiative application.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the projected spends for the new Peterborough City Hospital for 2010-11 and 2011-12; what was the actual spend for 2010-11; and what is the projected spend for 2011-12.

Earl Howe: The information requested is a matter for Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to Nigel Hards, chairman of Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, informing him of the noble Lord's inquiry. Mr Hards will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Northern Ireland Office: Sick Leave

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many days of stress-related sick leave were taken over the past five years by staff of the Northern Ireland Office; and how many staff are currently absent due to stress.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Comparable figures for the department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	Since 12 April 2010, no days of stress-related leave were taken by staff of the Northern Ireland Office.

Northern Ireland: Economy

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the closing date for the consultation on devolving corporation tax to Northern Ireland; how many responses were received; and how many of those responses were from individuals.

Lord Sassoon: The consultation on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy closed on 8 July 2011. Initial analysis suggests that over 700 responses have been received. A summary of consultation responses will be published in due course.

Nuclear Weapons

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Astor of Hever on 29 June (WS 154) concerning nuclear weapons, whether the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons are capable of being developed independently of other states.

Lord Astor of Hever: Yes. The nuclear physics package-the heart of the UK's nuclear warhead-is entirely designed and manufactured in the UK.
	While the UK may choose to purchase certain non-nuclear warhead components and share experimental facilities with its allies, this is only undertaken where it is considered more efficient and/or cost-effective to do so and where national sovereignty is not compromised. In addition, such activities are undertaken in compliance with our international obligations and do not affect the independence of the UK's nuclear deterrent.

Offenders: Unpaid Work

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government to whom will a magistrates' court make out a community supervision order with a condition of unpaid work following the process of tendering for unpaid work.

Lord McNally: All community orders are required by law to specify the local justice area in which the offender lives, or will be living. The order then becomes the responsibility of the offender's responsible officer, who is an officer of a provider of probation services acting in the specified local justice area.

Olympic Games 2012

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure people without tickets to the 2012 Olympics are not the victims of online fraud.

Baroness Browning: Operation Podium is the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) response to deal with criminal networks targeting the economy of the 2012 Games. Its remit is to investigate Games-related serious and organised criminality, focusing on acquisitive crimes including money-laundering, organised ticket crime, corruption, bribery, fraud, counterfeiting and false identity abuse. Operation Podium has worked with the MPS Directorate of Public Affairs to prepare key messages for the public on this issue. The intention is to raise awareness nationally and internationally on where to safely purchase tickets, providing consumers with some top tips on how to protect themselves from being a victim of a fraudulent ticket sale. Maximum media exposure will be sought while also utilising internal law enforcement networks, community groups, stakeholders and international contacts to heighten impact.
	Operation Podium is working closely with internet providers (ISPs) to ensure that fraudulent websites are taken down quickly and, where appropriate, will use the range of existing fraud legislation to seek prosecutions against offenders. Anybody applying for London 2012 tickets can use LOCOG's online website, http://www.london2012.com/about-this-website/ticketing-website-checker.php, to ensure the site they are using is an authorised ticket reseller. The Government are also committed to tackling the illegal touting of Games tickets. The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Amendment) Bill, currently before Parliament, proposes increasing the maximum penalty for illegal reselling of Games tickets from £5,000 to £20,000.

Planning

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many local planning authorities in England have (a) completed the preparation of their core strategies and submitted them for examination, and (b) completed the examination process and adopted their core strategies.

Baroness Hanham: As of July 2011, 149 local planning authorities in England have submitted their core strategies for examination; 102 of these authorities have now adopted their core strategy.

Prisoners: Pastoral Care

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the National Offender Management Service to provide spiritual help and pastoral care for all prisoners, following the recent abolition of the post of principal Roman Catholic chaplain to prisons.

Lord McNally: The pastoral and spiritual needs of prisoners are met through a multi-faith team of chaplains in each prison working inclusively, while respecting the integrity of each tradition. Roman Catholic chaplains, of whom there are some 170 (full-time, part-time and sessional), are an integral part of this provision. The former senior manager post of principal Roman Catholic chaplain in the National Offender Management Service has been discontinued following lengthy discussions with representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, which has created a new role of Catholic bishops' prisons adviser. This outcome will not negatively impact on the spiritual help and pastoral care available for all prisoners.

Questions for Written Answer

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have not yet answered HL 9473, tabled on 23 May, asking whether any proposals for changes to the Equality Act 2010 would be subject to public consultation before they were introduced.

Baroness Verma: I refer my noble friend to my answer of 11 July 2011 (Official Report, cols. WA125-26).

Questions for Written Answer

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will answer Question for Written Answer HL9011 concerning the contingent liability on Government with regard to passenger trains, tabled on 9 May and due for answer on 23 May.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will answer Questions for Written Answer HL9631 concerning freight charges, and HL9633 concerning charges in respect of Channel Tunnel passenger trains, both tabled on 6 June and due for answer on 20 June.

Earl Attlee: I have answered these questions today.

Railways: Channel Tunnel

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the contingent liability on Government, and the circumstances under which it might be incurred, in respect of (a) domestic passenger trains on HS1, (b) passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel, and (c) freight trains through the Channel Tunnel.

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport's contingent liabilities in respect of the Channel Tunnel are published in its resource accounts for 2009-10 at http://www. dft.gov.uk/about/publications/apr/resourceaccounts 0910/pdf/resourceaccounts0910.pdf.
	The department classifies contingent liabilities in accordance with accounting rules. There is an agreement relating to the "underpinning" of access charges for domestic passenger services for HS1. This was entered into in July 2010.
	The maximum amount which may be payable under this agreement is approximately £3.2 billion in 2009 prices (for the period 2010 to 2040).
	Whether any moneys are actually paid depends on whether or not the Secretary of State chooses to specify the relevant services in future franchise agreements. It is his present intention to do so and the agreement is therefore unlikely to be of a nature that is accounted as a contingent liability in the 2010-11 resource accounts.

Railways: Channel Tunnel

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 17 May (WA 293), whether their payment of freight charges for 2010-11 were fixed charges or dependent on the volumes of traffic using the Channel Tunnel; what payment they are required to make in respect of fixed or variable charges for passenger service Opex for Eurostar and any other operator of such services; and whether Eurostar, DB and any other passenger operator will pay the same charges for operating similar trains.

Earl Attlee: The charge of £8,278,233 in respect of Infrastructure (Opex) charges for rail freight in 2010-11 was a fixed cost paid under the terms of the railways usage contract (RUC) for the Channel Tunnel.
	Both Opex and variable charges in respect of passenger services running under the terms of the RUC are paid by the DfT on behalf of the British Railways Board, which remains the formal signatory to the contract, with a same-day refund from Eurostar to DfT under the terms of the supplementary agreements that were implemented to enable the privatisation of BRB's international business.

Railways: Channel Tunnel

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 17 May (WA 293), whether charges were paid by them in respect of passenger train services through the Channel Tunnel; and, if so, how much was paid in 2010-11.

Earl Attlee: Charges in respect of passenger train services running under the terms of the railways usage contract (RUC) are paid by the DfT on behalf of the British Railways Board, which remains the formal signatory to the contract, with a same-day refund from Eurostar to DfT under the terms of the supplementary agreements that were implemented to enable the privatisation of BRB's international business.

Somalia: Piracy

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have monitored what has become of the alleged pirates who have been handed over to other jurisdictions since Royal Navy anti-piracy operations off Somalia began; and, if so, what has become of them.

Lord Astor of Hever: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 23 May 2011 (Official Report, col. WA 391). Since then a further three suspected pirates have been encountered by the Royal Navy during a boarding operation. Following detailed analysis of all physical evidence, witness statements, and options for prosecution these individuals were released, as it was assessed that a successful prosecution was unlikely.

South Wales Police

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 13 May (WA 250), whether they will require the Chief Constable of South Wales Police to apologise to, and to compensate, those who were found to be guilty of holding, but not using, mobile phones while driving.

Baroness Browning: There is no offence of holding a mobile phone while driving although it could constitute an offence of driving without due care and attention depending on the circumstances of an individual case. Whether a person is guilty of using a mobile phone while driving is a matter for the courts to decide on the basis of the evidence put before them. Enforcement of the legislation is an operational matter for the police.

Syria

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have received on the burning of 10 square kilometres of open space in the occupied Golan Heights, near the Syrian town of Qunaytra.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware of reports of a fire in the Golan Heights which has since been brought under control. We are also aware of allegations that the fire was deliberately started but we have not seen evidence in support of this.

Taiwan

Lord Northbrook: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the proposal for Taiwan's participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; and what facilitating measures could be adopted to make this feasible.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government support Taiwan's practical participation in international organisations where this does not require statehood. Taiwan is currently represented at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meetings by a non-governmental organisation, the Industrial Technology Research Institute.
	The Government attach importance to engagement with Taiwan on climate change issues and have regular exchanges with the Taiwanese authorities about low-carbon development.

Taiwan

Lord Northbrook: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the referral by the World Health Organisation to Taiwan as a province of China in the World Health Organisation's internal documents.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government do not comment on leaked documents. The Government welcome the fact that Taiwan now participates as an observer at the World Health Assembly. It is important to UK interests that Taiwan is able to participate practically in the global health safety net.

Taxation: VAT

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated annual cost, in the absence of behaviour change, of reducing VAT from 20 per cent to 5 per cent on the repair and reconstruction of residential property.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated annual revenue from VAT at 20 per cent on the conversion of non-residential into residential property.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated annual revenue, in the absence of behaviour change, from making purchases of new residential property liable to VAT at a 5 per cent rate.

Lord Sassoon: The cost of reducing VAT from 20 per cent to 5 per cent on repair, maintenance and improvement of residential property, in the absence of behavioural change, is tentatively estimated to be in the region of £2.2 billion.
	The revenue from VAT at 20 per cent on the conversion of non-residential into residential property, in the absence of behavioural change, is estimated to be about £300 million, compared to an estimate of about £75 million at the current 5 per cent rate.
	The revenue from making the construction of new dwellings liable to VAT at 5 per cent rate, in the absence of behavioural change, is estimated to be about £1.5 billion.

Taxation: VAT

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the loss to the Exchequer from the evasion of (a) VAT, and (b) other taxes, on residential property repair and reconstruction work.

Lord Sassoon: No such estimates have been made.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes estimates of the total tax gap in Measuring Tax Gaps 2010, which is available in the House of Lords Library and on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-gaps-2010.htm.pdf.
	The latest estimates show evasion accounted for 17.5 per cent of the total tax gap in 2007-08, approximately £7 billion.
	Measuring Tax Gaps 2011 will be published on 21 September 2011.